Eberhard Faber went to great lengths to improve the quality of their pencils. Two advancements in particular come to mind: the “complastic lead” used in the Mongol series, and the “microtomic graphite” used in the Van Dyke series.

When the microtomic process was introduced, it was indicated on the Van Dyke pencil and packaging. By the mid- to late-1950s and early 1960s, the name “Van Dyke” disappeared, giving way to the Microtomic pencil, including leadholders.

The “-tomic” ending is in line with the science and culture of the 1950s. Though there was a sense of dread and foreboding once the world entered the atomic age, it was coupled with championing the advancements and benefits that atomic science could bring to everyday living, which carried with it acute levels of accuracy as a subtext.

“…freedom from smudge.”

Eberhard Faber made many different kinds of pencils, and one wonders if they all received the benefits of the “microtomic process”, including the Blackwing. I’m especially curious since the Blackwing (#602) is nestled between the Van Dyke (#601) and the Microtomic (#603). Outside of the Van Dyke and the Microtomic itself, I’ve never seen the “microtomic process” mentioned for any other pencil.

Many thanks to Lexikaliker and Herbert R. for their generosity in facilitating these scans.

This all started with a post about what I considered to be the first Blackwing 602. My contention was supported by the rarity of the pencil, as well as other plausible conclusions as they applied to its design. But I soon began to doubt.

The second post in this series focused on the origins of the Van Dyke ferrule, including the text and arrow stamped into the metal, which preceded—and were never present on—the Blackwing. My thinking was, if I could find contemporaneous versions of the Van Dyke—a pencil that was advertised far more than the Blackwing—then I could draw inferences about the chronology of the Blackwing by pairing the ferrules. The key, then, would be to date this early Van Dyke ferrule, which would anchor its relationship to the Blackwing in a timeline.

This information has now been uncovered, and can be verified with a Van Dyke I own from that period. The following is from a 1927 Eberhard Faber catalog:

(Note that the copy mentions a “gold band”.) You can clearly see that the ferrule is the same kind as the one pictured below, gold band and all:

The undercoat-banded ferrule, then, was in use for a minimum of 6 years before the Blackwing 602 was even invented (1933). That means this ferrule was first, not the one with the yellow-painted band. Knowing that the gold ferrule with the black band was in use from at least 1949-onward (see previous post), then the order of the first three Blackwings must be as follows:

The only thing that would disturb this conclusion is if the Van Dykes and Blackwings did not share the same ferrule type at the same time. And wouldn’t you know it, the catalog page in the previous post shows a Van Dyke and Blackwing side-by-side, with different ferrules! Just when you think you have things nailed-down…

For now, I’m just going to remain satisfied with this detective work, turn a blind eye, and hope that there is some other explanation for the discrepancy (such as the re-using of older camera-ready artwork rather than commissioning entirely new illustrations because of the stripe on a ferrule).

My speculation regarding the introduction of the yellow-painted band centers on the Van Dyke. The paint on the band is identical to the paint on the barrel. When the Van Dyke’s design was updated (see pic below) including the ferrule, I think the Blackwing was fitted in a “me-too” fashion with this ferrule for a short time as well:

Despite how sharp the ferrule looks on this pencil, it just didn’t work as well on the Blackwing. Perhaps, then, the folks at Eberhard Faber decided on a design (black band on a gold ferrule) that suited the Van Dyke, the Blackwing, and the Microtomic.

Last but not least, Gunther at Lexikaliker has come up with a very plausible explanation regarding the use of gold coloring on the ferrule. As the picture in his post indicates, Eberhard Faber was founded the same year as the gold rush (1849), and the original gold stripe in the ferrule represented gold, which by extension represented quality.

Taking this a step further—by changing to a painted yellow band on the ferrule, the visceral allusion to the luster of gold was lost. But instead of just switching back, why not just make the entire ferrule gold then, capping all of their large-ferrule pencils with this sign of quality? Added to that is the simplification of the process—the ferrules would no longer need to be painted black, saving both time and money.

Many thanks to Lexikaliker and Herbert R. for their generosity in facilitating these scans.

A few more details about the history of the Blackwing 602 can now be confirmed, based on some excerpts from two Eberhard Faber catalogs. This 1949 catalog states that the Blackwing 602 belonged to Eberhard Faber’s “Quality Group” of black lead pencils with erasers. And the famous lacquer finish? We now know it was officially referred to as “black steel polish”. It’s also interesting to see that pressure and speed aren’t just part of the catchy slogan, they are indeed emphasized in the catalog as selling-points:

Up until this point, I’ve taken the slogan “Half the Pressure, Twice the Speed” quite light-heartedly—a nice tag that makes good advertising copy. But here you can see the company quite seriously selling the notion that requiring less writing pressure truly facilitates speed, presumably making the writer more efficient, if not more comfortable.

A previous post raised questions about who Eberhard Faber considered its target audience was for the Blackwing. This next example, from 1954, states it clearly — “writers and editors”. This comes as no surprise, but finally here is some written proof:

The inset extrapolates the “Half the Pressure, Twice the Speed” motif, and uses the evocative phrase “exceptionally black”:

It should be noted, however, that the Van Dyke pictured next to it (and the barometer I’ve been using for dating each of the early Blackwings) has a different ferrule. If this is accurate, then it throws off the pairing-system I’ve been using in my attempt to place a date with the ferrules. I think it’s possible that rather than commissioning more camera-ready artwork, previous renderings could be re-used so long as they weren’t too different in appearance compared to the currently shipping pencil. Notice that the description for the Blackwing mentions the “gilt tip with black band”, but that there is no such description for the Van Dyke. If the shipping version was different than the pictured version, its understandable why it would be missing. This may just be wishful thinking on my part.

Many thanks to Lexikaliker and Herbert R. for their generosity in facilitating these scans.

Somebody in the Eberhard Faber design department sure got their money’s worth out of this stripe design.